


Stray Kids: Sentinel Division

by danbaihe



Series: Stray Kids: Sentinel Division [1]
Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Action, Alternate Universe - Mutants, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Blood and Violence, F/M, Fights, Government Agencies, Government Experimentation, Heavy Angst, It's not really a romantic plot they overthrow the government first then kiss it out u know?, Kinda, M/M, Minor Romance, Minor Violence, Multi, Mutant Politics, Mutant Powers, Mutant Rights, Mutant!Chan, Mutant!Changbin, Mutant!Felix, Mutant!Hyunjin, Mutant!Jeongin, Mutant!Jisung, Mutant!Minho, Mutant!Seungmin, Mutants, Non-Graphic Violence, OT8, Other, Polyamorous Character, Polyamory, Sad Yang Jeongin | I.N, Sentinels, Slow Burn, Survival Horror, X-Men References, Yang Jeongin | I.N-centric, horror kinda???, kinda slow burn, sentinel services
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-17
Updated: 2021-01-17
Packaged: 2021-03-15 08:00:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,028
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28810011
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/danbaihe/pseuds/danbaihe
Summary: “I saw you. In his memories.” Jeongin said. “You were… comforting him.”“We’ve been through a lot.” Changbin said. “You should probably forget it.”“I don’t know If I can.” Jeongin replied.-Mutants can now become Sentinels- of course, with the correct supervision.  Government services are known for waiting until mutants are in life-threatening situations, only then stepping in and offering them something they can't refuse. Jeongin, unfortunately, becomes victim to this, and has to navigate life working under Korea's Sentinel Services- a government agency that in any country, like any other mutant, he's tried long and hard to avoid and steer clear from. He's added to a team of all mutants- extremely rare, but the head of the S.S.D.C. has seemingly given his team leader free reign. What happens when Jeongin's workplace shows to be more shady than the cases he will now have to deal with every day? Or when he's closely watched over it- and almost killed?
Relationships: Bang Chan/Hwang Hyunjin, Bang Chan/Lee Minho | Lee Know, Bang Chan/Seo Changbin, Han Jisung | Han/Lee Felix, Hwang Hyunjin/Lee Minho | Lee Know, Hwang Hyunjin/Seo Changbin, Lee Minho | Lee Know/Seo Changbin
Series: Stray Kids: Sentinel Division [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2112195
Comments: 3
Kudos: 12





	Stray Kids: Sentinel Division

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, so a few things to set up the future of this story and where it will go (hopefully):  
> 1\. I'll find an updating schedule. It probably won't be as frequent as once a week, but not as sparse as once a month either. I'm still unsure what the exact plan is for it, so the first few updates will be weird.  
> 2\. The first chapter is paced weird, please bear with me, its important to the plot later on lmao.  
> 3\. If the characters seem a little off, I had trouble finishing this to begin the story, but my problem should mellow out as I write plots I have planned for the story.

**JEONGIN**

**FIVE YEARS AGO**

When Jeongin woke up, he was in a dark, gray room. He was on a...well, he wasn’t sure. But it was comfortable. Padded. His body was littered in scars, scratches, and bruises- fuck, his leg.

_ His leg. _

The memories of what he had just been through sent the teenager panicking, the boy quickly rising. Where was he? This certainly wasn’t that weird cult club where everyone  _ looked _ punk but was very  _ not _ , and Jeongin was lucky to have gotten away unscathed.

Where was his jacket?

God, he should’ve stayed home.

He groaned as he slowly rose, headache oncoming as he moved into an upright position, wincing. The room was empty- and by that, he means, he was the only person there. There was a metal table in the center and two chairs, a sink, a mirror, and a conjoining, smaller room (what Jeongin could only assume was probably a toilet or shower), and a really dim light.

“Hello?” 

Oh fuck. He’s been kidnapped. He’s definitely been kidnapped. This is it. He’s going to be human trafficked- no,  _ worse _ , mutant trafficked into a underground lab that are going to want to experiment with his DNA and-

The door swung open and Jeongin yelped, jumping slightly as he scooted back on what he now realized to be a bed.

A man walked in with an...apple…? And a ...knife.

Oh fuck.

Oh  _ fuck.  _ Jeongin is so dead. He should’ve listened to his mom. Never left town. Never left the Nordic countries. Coming to South Korea was obviously a mistake.

The man walked slowly, eyeing Jeongin- occasionally giving a small tilt of the head. Jeongin backed up slightly, his back hitting the wall. He winced, shaking. He realized how much pain he was in and he cried out, body shaking slightly as he hugged himself, goraning.

The man seemed slightly alarmed, reaching forward with his free arm.

“Don’t touch me!” Jeongin shouted. The man froze, but nodded, pulling back. Slowly, he backed up, pulling a chair out, turning it towards the bed.

He sat down, getting comfortable. He propped his elbows up on his knees, taking the knife and the apple and adjusting how he held them.

“What is that?” Jeongin asked, slowly sitting up in bed.

The man slowly glanced up, then back down at the apple and knife in his hands, slowly peeling the apple. He sighed slightly, almost as if he was bored with what he was doing.

“It’s an apple. And a knife.”

“What’s the knife for?” Jeongin asked cautiously, eyeing the man’s hands.

“To peel the apple.”

“And the apple?”

The man glanced up, meeting Jeongin’s eye. “Has anyone ever... _ used _ an apple for anything other than eating it with?” He asked, scoffing. Jeongin felt the heat rise to his cheeks.

“I...I guess you’re right.”

The two were silent for a little bit before the man finished peeling the apple, setting it on a plate on the table, sliding it forward. “For you.” He said.

“The apple?” Jeongin asked. “How do I know you didn’t… I dunno, poison it?” 

“You just saw me peel it.”

“You could’ve poisoned the knife.”

“Kid-” The man sighed, shaking his head and folding the peel in his hand, eating it- biting off a small part, chewing, and swallowing.

“...say ‘ah’” Jeongin said, looking at the other doubtfully.

“I am not gonna-”

“I don’t know where I am or who you are, don’t you want me to trust you before you do whatever you’re about to do? Which I assume is try to sell me something...or torture me...or hopefully kill me.”

“Hopefully?”

“A dead mutant is better than an alive one.”

“Jesus kid, what, do you listen to those fucking sapien nazi’s on the news nowdays?”

“Only the ones that are logical.”

“So if someone gave you logic behind killing someone, would you do it?” The man asked, and Jeongin paused. “Well...I guess if it was logic I could get behind and the situation called for it…” He trailed off slightly, shifting uncomfortably.

“How old are you?” The man asked.

“...” Jeongin didn’t respond at first. “Where am I?” He eventually asked.

“Busan’s Sentinel Division Compound. B.S.D.C. for short. Well. We’re in ” The man eventually said. Jeongin’s eyes widened. He shrunk back on the bed, shaking his head.

“No, no… I didn’t… I didn’t break the law or anything- I didn’t-”

“Relax.” The man said, raising his hand. Jeongin kept shaking his head. “I didn’t do anything wrong you’ve got to believe me I-”

“Jeongin. Right? That’s what it said on the file I was given. Unfortunately, that’s all we were able to get on you. Couldn’t even find a passport.” The man said. “You’re not in trouble trust me. If you were, you’d be in a cell.” He explained.

“This...this isn’t a cell?” Jeongin asked, looking around the room. The man scoffed, laughing out loud.

“Don’t say that to some of my higher-ups, kid, they might get upset with you for bringing up a sore topic like that again.” He said with a laugh, the younger simply looking confused by his reply.

“What?”

The man sighed, shaking his head. “These are the rooms provided for mutants who work for sentinels.”

Jeongin looked around with disgust. “Seriously?” He asked, before frowning. “Lemme guess, do humans get hotel rooms?”

“Something similar to it, yeah.” The stranger said with a scoff, watching the teenager’s reaction go from understandably disgusted to shocked.

“Wait- work here? Mutants work with sentinels? Since when?” Jeongin asked, furrowing his eyebrows. He shifted away from the stranger, the other man sensing his unease.

“Jeongin- it’s...it’s okay. Look.” The man held up his hand, a small purple-green energy appearing as it danced between his fingers. “I can heal you. Or, your ankle at least. If you let me.”

“...What’s your name?” Jeongin asked slowly.

“Minho.”

“How’d you end up here, Minho?”

“...A set of unfortunate circumstances, like you. That’s it.”

“And were you given another option out of this?” Jeongin asked slowly. Minho froze, glancing to the side and licking his lips. 

“Truthfully? No. I’m not presented with a lot of options in my life. But, this at the time, seemed like the only good option, so, I took it.” He said, exhaling. “Let me heal your leg kid.” He murmured, Jeongin hesitantly moving his legs out so that Minho could see them. Minho inhaled sharply.

“What the hell happened to you? Weren’t you wearing boots?” Minho asked, and Jeongin looked around for his clothes, realizing he was clad in the shorts he wore under his jeans and his t-shirt.

“Where… where are my clothes?”

“Oh yeah- you got some edgy style kid, you’d fit Changbin’s clothes fine, so he’s gonna let you borrow some- he’s… one of the other mutants. I healed up your life threatening wound, just as a precaution. Didn’t want you to bleed out or something. But your pants were… kinda blood soaked after. What the hell happened?”

“What about my jacket?” Jeongin asked, ignoring the other’s question.

“We- we saved it kid. Don’t worry. It’s fine.” Minho watched Jeongin visibly relax slightly. “You’ll get it back, I promise. I’ll make sure you do, even, what does it look like?” he asked.

“It’s a… a black jean jacket. It has scribbles on it with white chalk markers? Kind of like symbols? Some are just random words- a few extra pockets and patches sewn in but they’re all either white or reddish-orange I guess…” He said hesitantly. Minho nodded.

“Black jacket. White scribbles. Patches and pockets. I’ll get it back for you okay?” Minho said, Jeongin nodding.

“How old are you kid?” Minho asked.

“...Sixteen. Today was my birthday.” Jeongin said.

“Well, your birthday already passed, you’ve been asleep for 16 hours, but, I’ll get you a little cupcake or something if you want?” Minho offered. Jeongin shook his head, curling up slightly.

Minho sighed, watching the teenager.

“Here, kid, let me heal your other leg.”

“Other leg?”

“The deathly cut was on the left leg.”

“Oh...oh, right.” Jeongin seemed to remember that he was in pain, face scrunching up slightly.

Minho chuckled. “Let me heal you kid. I can cut off the pain so that you don’t feel it.” He said, leaning forward with his hand outstretched. Jeongin let him, frowning.

“Is that all you can do?” Jeongin asked. “Heal, I mean.”

Minho glanced up at him as his hand hovered over his leg, sighing slightly. The same energy from before came back, forming as strings connecting to Jeongin’s ankle. They moved fast, faster than Jeongin could follow, yet Minho seemed practiced in what he was doing.

“At the moment, it’s all I’m really allowed to do if that’s what you mean.” Minho responded, not really giving a full answer. 

Jeongin understood him exactly.

  
  
  


**PRESENT DAY**

_ So you say, you’re moving? _

_ Out of state… soon as you graduate? _

_...Interesting. _

“Happy Birthday Jeongin!”

The chorus of voices filled the room as they all watched Jeongin hover over a meal that had been made specifically for him. Seaweed soup, a few side dishes that Jimin- Jeongin’s friend in the mutant division here, probably out-did himself with, and a cake. Of course, there were also an assortment of drinks and junk food- mostly beer and chips. Jeongin laughed, clapping his hands together as they all sung the familiar tune of the birthday song, the man swaying side to side very off beat.

“Blow out your candles!!” Jimin excitedly shouted, holding a phone camera to Jeongin’s face. Jeongin laughed, inhaling hugely- making a big show out of it just to get some laughs before blowing out the candles on his cake, getting them all except one, which he quickly blew out in a separate breath.

“Happy 21st. Jeongin. I’m really proud of you.” There was a hand on his back he recognized as Minho’s. He looked up, grinning. 

“Hey, is this the first birthday where you don’t give me an apple?” Jeongin asked, teasing. It had almost become tradition now, although, between the two, it had become a bit of a humorous one.

“No, but since I figured you’d be tired of the fruit, I found you apple chips.” The man said, showing the younger the bag.

“Next year, try candy apples, maybe one of these years I’ll like your presents.” Jeongin said with a fake pout, Minho chuckling and slapping his arm. 

“Speaking of presents…” Jeongin looked back to see another friend, Jeongguk, move from behind him. Man, five years had really passed fast, hadn’t they?

Jeongguk placed a present on the table, smiling softly. “Open it when you leave.” He said.

“When I...leave?” Jeongin asked, tilting his head.

“You’ve been here five years and it’s your 21st birthday. You’re definitely getting moved. That’s like, checking all the boxes.” Jimin said, leaning over and opening a beer, chuckling slightly.

“Oh, shit, yeah- I guess, I didn’t even think about that.” Jeongin sighed, deflating a little.

“You haven’t even had a slice of cake yet, what are you upset about?” Minho asked, scoffing.

“Besides. It’s not like you’ll forget us. You sure as hell won’t forget me. I convinced Mina to tell me where we’re going.” Minho said, sitting next to Jeongin.

“Us?” Jeongin asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Yeah. I’m coming with you. You were tired of Busan’s division? We’re going to Seoul’s International.” Minho grinned, and he laughed as Jeongin’s eyes slowly lit up.

“Seoul...International Sentinel. Like, travelling ? Like, the S.S.D.C.?”

“The very one.”

“Lucky! I wanted to get stationed in Seoul!” Jimin whined, sipping his beer. Jeongin laughed, like he couldn’t believe it. He couldn’t. To Imagine, five years ago, he hated the very idea of sentinels. And now he was one. Climbing the ranks. Literally.

_ Anyway, you’re leaving,  _

_ Need a hug? _

_ Okay then. _

_ Call me up? _

_ No thanks man. _

Later that night, Mina, his superior, stops him in the hall and tells him to pack his bags. He fakes his surprise, like he wasn’t told earlier during his birthday celebration in Jimin’s room. He leaves in a couple of days with Minho (who’s actually  _ returning _ to Seoul - he had gone for two years during Jeongin’s second and third year and visited when he could for the man’s birthday), for a new permanent job with a team of all-mutants. Exciting. Wonderful. Not at all anxiety inducing.

It took him exactly twelve minutes to pack things that aren't necessities, his duffel bag sitting on the only table in the room, looking somewhat somewhat...sad? No. Just, lonely. He turned the light off, staring at the silhouette of the bag still, sighing. Would he be lonely in his new sentinel position?

He’s been lonely for awhile now. Sure, Minho and his friends in the Busan division have helped a bit but even before that…

..well, he shouldn’t think about that now.

He tries to get comfortable on his bed. It’s not like the bed at his mother’s house. Nothing probably ever will be. The village he grew up in was small, and he regularly cuddled up with friends in his bed.

But it’s better than any other option he was probably given in South Korea. Which, if he had stayed out, he would’ve most definitely have been dead.

He doesn’t mind the fact that now when he thinks of sentinels, he’s thankful instead of disgusted, and scared, like he used to be.

_ I’m too busy don’t have time for, _

_ things you say that aren’t important, _

_ Where’s the bathroom at? _

_ Leave me alone! _

Jeongin hoped that the team-

Wow, a real  _ team.  _ He’d never been a part of one. Sure, he had trained with Minho now and the few actual missions and cases he’d been called on he’d witnessed other teams work on, but he’d always been more of an...intern, if a sentinel could have one.

Being a part of a team...sounded nice. Especially a team Minho had been on, if it was in Seoul’s division. Seoul’s  _ mutant _ division. Jeongin had heard stories (mostly from Jeongguk, who, granted, mostly liked to fuck with people, but was sometimes, very rarely serious) about the mutants in the SSDC. They were the strong ones- arguably the strongest in South Korea, if not the world (second only, to, of course, the X-men).

Minho would be fine.

Jeongin just hoped he would be too.

He closed his eyes and curled up, yawning slightly as he let sleep take him over.

“Happy birthday to me.” He whispered to himself.

_ I just came here to the party for the drugs. _

  
  
  


**THREE YEARS AGO**

“Fuck!” Jeongin quickly dodged what could’ve been an ending blow.

“Focus on me. Where I’m about to go. Don’t focus on where you’re at right now. Just try to finish *me*.” Minho’s instruction was clear. His voice cut through the room as Jeongin tried to level his breathing. It was one of the first things everyone here was taught. To keep a steady breath- steady heart rate through everything. To be able to think and act rationally, even when doing shit like fighting. Jeongin had been in his fair share of fights before the sentinels even picked him up. He didn’t see the point of exercises like this, but it was required, and it was one of the only exercises Jeongin didn’t excel at- which frustrated him. To make things worse, Minho knew Jeongin. Minho knew Jeongin well, and knew he’d practice hard until he got it right.

Of course he calls him up for a demonstration in front of the class.

So here they were, on the training mat. Minho was really close to honestly just taking Jeongin down in a matter of seconds, and Jeongin refused to let him.

“Powers or no powers?” Jeongin asked as they circled each other, checking his wristband. It was a new and improved decorated inhibitor for sentinels that looked a little bit like a fitbit so they felt less bad about requiring to wear one at almost all times.

“Powers.” Minho said with a smirk. “Humor me.”

Jeongin couldn’t help but give a small smile in response.

The two, almost in unison, pressed a few buttons on the screens of their bracelets, releasing their powers. Jeongin’s eyes immediately turned an orangish-red, the boy narrowing them as he focused on Minho. Minho’s veins had that familiar purple-green color as energy seemed to swirl and dissipate around his fists. He knew if it got near him it would reappear as strings.

With their powers… It’d be a no-contact fight. They’d be trying to avoid each other the entire fight.

Minho swung first, not hesitating. Jeongin immediately tried to make contact, swinging his leg towards Minho’s fist. Minho retracted quickly, dodging Jeongin’s blatant attempt to touch him and going for the other side, Jeongin ducking.

“Too eager.” Minho said, attacking again, going for Jeongin’s legs this time. Jeongin figured he was too close to Minho and used the opportunity to put a little bit of space between them, moving back. Yeah ha! He did a cool flip.

“Am I?” Jeongin asked, tilting his head and grinning. He wasn’t going to lie. His fighting style was suited much more for filled areas. Bars, forests, places where he had areas to hide. This was a training mat where his only goal was to body-hop into Minho. Which, now that he thought about it, he hadn’t actually done before…

“You should be paying attention in class, little fox.” Minho quipped. Jeongin realized he got close enough that strings were forming, quickly connecting to Jeongin’s leg, Minho making the motion as if yanking someone, Jeongin’s leg going limp as he fell, yelping.

“Maybe. I just kinda… you know. Zoned out.” Jeongin winced, slowly pushing himself back up. He was right under Minho. He jumped up, trying to push himself into the other.

Minho narrowly avoided him by pushing him back, using the strings to move Jeongin’s leg from under him again. After that, they dissipated as Jeongin rolled away, Minho not being able to reach him. 

Jeongi used the opportunity to get back on his feet, only having a few seconds before Minho was heading straight for him. He braced himself for impact, passing straight through Minho. He didn’t want to properly body-hop into him now. At least, not yet.

Minho turned, grabbing Jeongin by the arm and flipping him, Jeongin landing on his back. Jeongin let out a groan, sighing. Minho definitely won that one. No questions asked. That hurt.

“If you bleed…” Minho said, addressing the class, walking slowly around Jeongin, who now lay on the mat, sweating. “...your blood flows into the water.” He glanced around at the other mutants in the room. Jeongin’s peers, technically. Who Minho was teaching. “Then the sharks come.” He said, glancing to the door. A human officer- Jeongin recognized him as Taecyeon. One of Minho’s superiors.

“...and when the sharks come, you’re  _ dead. _ ”

Minho sighs, looking down at Jeongin, waiting for Taecyeon to pass.

"That's all for training today. You're dismissed but Dr. Park has requested you show up to her psychology class an hour early. Apparently, she has a bit of a field trip planned." Minho says, letting the small amount of trainees disperse. He holds a hand out for Jeongin, who takes it, letting the other pull him up.

"You did good. Using your ability to go  _ through _ me instead of stay in was smart. Try to master that trick, it's a bit dirty but it'll get you far." Minho said, patting Jeongin on the back.

Jeongin chuckled, sighing. "Give me an A+." He joked back, Minho snorting and rolling his eyes. "Maybe next time, little fox. I beat your ass, no offense."

Jeongin laughed at the other's words, gently massaging his shoulder where he landed. "One of these days I'll get you back real good." He said, slinging his bag over his non aching arm.

"I'll hold you to that." Minho responded with a grin.

  
  
  


**PRESENT DAY**

“These rooms are so much nicer than the rooms at the BSDC hyung!” Jeongin excitedly told Minho in the hall, dragging Minho to show him his room, despite them having the exact same layout plan.

“I know, right?” Minho asked, chuckling. “It’s pretty impressive.”

“Seriously! Our old rooms looked like prison cells in comparison!” Jeongin said with a laugh, opening his room door. The bedroom looked more like a small apartment for someone to live in. There was even a stove and a small microwave (and a mini fridge!!). Jeongin had abandoned his bag at the door, attacking the bed by jumping on it, curling up. “Oh my god. Hyung. I think this is the most comfortable bed I’ve ever been on.” Jeongin said, curling up on top of the blankets.

“Oh my god, Jeongin, you’re still wearing your boots and crusty ass jacket get off the bed.” Minho chastised, pulling the younger male off the bed. “I swear to god, you’re still a little...i dunno. Forest child? Fox...forest fox. Do foxes live in forests? I have to work on that nickname. Anyways, five years of sentinel training did nothing for you.” Minho grumbled. Jeongin got off the bed, kicking off his shoes. He took off his jacket too, surprising Minho.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you in a t-shirt.” Minho said, raising his eyebrows. Jeongin shrugged. He was just wearing a regular dark green shirt. Jeongin strugged, flipping his necklace out from under his shirt. He usually had it tucked under his training uniform, but- well, he didn’t even have that now.

Jeongin shrugged. “I dunno. I’ve been wearing my jacket all day- I didn’t really realize-”

“Don't freak out so much. It's just a jacket- you should wear t-shirts more. They look good on you.” Minho said, shrugging.

“I dunno. Maybe. I think it’s better if I stick to the jacket.” Jeongin subconsciously reached for the black denim jacket that he had held onto, folding it in his lap. Minho noticed the change and mood and tried to change the conversation.

“Did you ever open Jeongguk’s gift?” Minho asked, raising an eyebrow, sitting on his bed next to him as he stretched.

“Oh, no! It’s still in my bag. I wonder what he got me.”

“Hopefully a fucking phone.”

“I don’t use one because they’re expensive, and also because I don’t know  _ how _ .” Jeongin said, groaning.

"Which is exactly why you should have a phone. You can't just use your stupid email for everything. Besides, like, you're a part of a team now. If you end up making friends with someone, how are they going to contact you?"

"I dunno, they can just...knock on my door." Jeongin said, wincing as Minho hit the back of his head gently.

"Uncalled for." Jeongin told the older man as he handed Jeongin his duffel bag. Jeongin unzipped it, pulling out the box that was still on top. He squinted at the blue box, then looked up at Minho. "It's a phone isn't it? You helped buy the present."

"Oh wow, would you look at that." Minho said, lifting his arm in front of his face but not actually looking at his inhibitor. "My inhibitor says my blood pressure is too low. I should go get something to eat. Bye."

"That is not a- just because it tells you vital signs does not mean you can use it to get out of situations!" Jeongin yelled, but Minho had already shut the door. Jeongin sighed, opening the box. He was unsurprised to see a phone. He did smile though. Minho had thought the present out, and there was a plain black case with a cute fox keychain attached. Aw.

Now Jeongin has to save up and outdo Minho and Jeongguk's present so that for their birthdays he shocks them and-

Anyways, Jeongin set the box aside, slowly setting up his phone. Unsurprisingly, it was a S*msung- which, S*msung seemed to own everything electronic in South Korea. He set it up pretty easily, logging into his email. Of course Jeongguk had sent him an email with his number. Now he can text people.

He should text his mo-

His inhibitor beeped and Jeongin looked at it. A notification. "All team members for SSDC team 19, please meet on the ground floor." A male voice spoke through the speaker. Oh god, Jeongin forgot this was a communicator. He set the phone down, laying it on his bed, before grabbing and throwing on his jacket, heading out. Minho was in the hallway, waiting for him.

"Thank you for the phone." Jeongin said, giving him a small smile. Minho smirked. "It was technically Jeongguk's present but, your welcome, I guess."

"So...lobby?" Jeongin said, glancing towards the elevator they came up in.

"Lobby." Minho said, nodding. "Lead the way." He tilted his head so that Jeongin could start walking.

  
  
  


The lobby is filled with interesting people. Mostly, they're all wearing customary sentinel dress code shit, which consists of businessmen wearing suits, the occasional lab-coat, and some weird swat looking uniform Jeongin wasn't sure he ever wanted to wear. He felt slightly out of place with his...rather loud jacket, that had only accumulated more scribbles and pins over the years, and his dying BSDC - issued boots he had added small charms onto as well. Obviously, he has something for decoration.

Although, there were a few people, huddled in a group looking a little more ... normal. Okay, it was more like one depressed gym-bro, a goth teen, and a weird tall beautiful dude (who seemed to be the only one wearing uniform- a long military coat over cargo pants and boots) were somewhat...penguin huddling together.

"Who are we even looking for?" Jeongin asked Minho, who was waving...in the direction of the group.

"Channie!" Minho shouted, for the entire lobby to hear him. Jeongin quickly yanked on his arm in a panic. "What the hell are you doing!?" Jeongin whisper-yelled, eyes wide.

"That's Chan! Our team leader! Over there!" Minho pointed to the group Jeongin had been checking out before. He internally groaned. Oh dear, now their next issue: socializing.

Minho dragged Jeongin over, Jeongin feeling a bit like an indignant child as he was pulled unwillingly towards the other three.

"Minho, we can't take another kid you picked up on our team, we're already a full team now because of the one I haven't even evaluated yet-"

"This is that one!! Yang Jeongin! Do you really think I would just pick up a random person in a lobby without telling them what's happening and make them join the team?" Minho asked, shaking his head.

"Yes." The man deadpanned. Jeongin got a good look at him. He had black hair and he seemed like the kind of guy that never smiled. He had a muscle-tee on, plain black, along with the issued cargo pants and boots. However, he made it seem more like a...fashion statement than just a required uniform. Jeongin would expect to see the man at the gym.

"Yang Jeongin?" The man asked, Jeongin sniffing and awkwardly standing up. "Yes sir?" He mumbled.

Then, he did something weird.

He smiled.

And opened his arms.

"Uh…" Jeongin looked at him unsurely, before looking at Minho. Minho blinked back, before furrowing his eyebrows. "Hug him." Minho whispered.

"Oh. Uhm...no. but thank you." Jeongin said, giving a bit of an awkward smile, bowing his head. Chan nodded, clearing his throat and going for a hug with the guy next to him instead, who groaned. "Seriously Chan? What the fuck?"

"Sometimes I wanna hug my buddy. Binnie buddy. Kind of sounds like a stuffed animal if you-"

"Get off of me." The man, Binnie, grumbled, pushing his...teammate? Friend? Back gently.

"Are we waiting for anyone else?" Jeongin eventually asked, shrinking into the closest corner. Unfortunately, Minho saw him trying to seperate from the group and pulled him back with them.

"Yeah. There's three other new recruits besides you." 

"Three?" Jeongin asked, tilting his head. "So you four were like… a team before? Or..." 

Minho nodded. "Jeongin, meet  _ my _ team. Or, well, Chan's team. Now the seniors on your team. We used to be a full unit with 9 members but uh…" Minho cleared his throat. "Well, at some point you'll find that mission report. Anyways, the SSDC needs mutants back on the field again, especially after reports of a lot of unhandled cases in allied countries and neighboring countries so they're filling teams up as fast as they can." Minho said, and Jeongin nodded, sighing. "So that's why I graduated early huh?" He said, sighing.

"No, you graduated early because from what I've heard, your test results were remarkable." Chan said, Jeongin's head turning. "My what?"

"Yeah, you- did you not check your test results?" 

Jeongin shook his head. "I'm a dumb bitch who barely knows how to use my inhibitor." 

"I'll show you how at some point." Minho said, sighing.

"Where are you from?" The goth guy asked, eyeing Jeongin. Jeongin eyed him back. Was he giving him a dirty look? He couldn't tell.

"Uh…" Jeongin shifted uncomfortably. He didn't even answer when Minho asked  _ after _ they had known each other. "I was raised in the Nordic region. You know, Norway, Sweden, Åland, Estonia...that area." He scratched the back of his head awkwardly, clearing his throat.

"Uhm...hello?" 

Jeongin and the tall man next to him both turned to see a pair of guys. One had tan skin and hair a little grown out. Like he had grown up in the sun. The other had freckles and red hair...like he had also ...grown up in the sun. Weird. Okay then. They both had white coats on instead of the regular black ones. So they work in the science division...which is vast, and doesn't really give Jeongin a lot of information.

"Hi!" Chan greeted. "Jilix twins, right?"

"Well, we're not twins- no, we're boyfriends. And childhood friends. We grew up together. Do people think we're twins?" The redhead said, eyes widening slightly. "Oh my god, Jisung-"

"N-No. It's just a base nickname. Because of your...powers…" Chan said awkwardly. "That and the death twins, although I'm not really sure  _ why _ you have that one…" Chan chuckled nervously, hoping to calm the younger down.

"Oh." The freckled boy said, calming down a bit. "So like, people know we're dating, right?"

"Uh, well, honestly, I think people are just terrified of rumors I've heard about you in the lab." Chan said. "Which...is why I thought you'd be perfect for my team." 

"Our lack of impulse-restraint, or our powers?" The tan one asked.

"Yes." Chan responded.

"Cool!" The redhead clapped his hands. "I'm Felix by the way, and that's Jisung. People mix us up a lot, so, I figured I should clear that up now." Felix said, smiling.

"Yes, thank you. Welcome to the team, Felix, Jisung. Now all we wait for is...Seungmin and then we'll be ready to go." Chan said, checking his inhibitor. "Can everyone please tell me what percentage their inhibitor is at right now? I need to know what level your powers are usually suppressed." Chan asked. "Seungmin already messaged me ahead of time so I know his stats when he gets here, and when we switch inhibitors for a team set I'll be able to see all of your stats at all times, but that won't be for another week." He explained.

"43% now, but my blood sugar has been a big low and I'm still recovering from a cold." The goth man answered first. "It'll be back up to 64% when I'm back to full strength."

The tall man simply stuck out his wrist for chan, who looked at the watch-like device, nodding. "Okay, Changbin, Hyunjin, you're good. Minho?"

"Uhm…" Minho glanced at his watch. "54%." He said, before letting his hand drop to his side. Jeongin was required to always keep his inhibitor above 85% unless training or on the field, which was really annoying because it took a lot out of him and made him unneededly tired for no reason. And he definitely did  _ not _ have it on or above that percentage right now.

"Jeongin?" Chan asked. 

"...75%" Jeongin admitted, sighing and increasing his inhibitor slightly. "Now...85%." he said. His eyes seemed to dull a little, but besides that, there wasn't a big difference.

Chan looked like he wanted to say something, but didn't, turning to Jisung and Felix instead.

"We're both completely inhibited." Felix replied. "100%." Chan nodded and Jeongin tilted his head, but didn't say anything further.

"Great. Now we're just waiting for- oh. There he is. Seungmin!" Chan called, motioning a man in a zip up hoodie and sunglasses over. He looked borderline hungover, like walking was giving him a headache. He didn't say anything, just walked over to the group. Chan seemed to do a small headcount, accounting for everyone in the group. "Cool. We have everyone. Follow me." He said, leading the group down the hallway. Jeongin stuck close to Minho, only feeling familiar with him.

  
  
  


They made it to the training room, everyone changing into training uniforms and meeting in the room. The only thing that changed between this compound and busan was that it was bigger. And there were benches. Jeongin took a seat by himself, all the way on the edge of one bench. The boyfriends had situated themselves on the bench in front of him. Seungmin, a few benches back, seemed perfectly content to sit by himself. Chan's current team were all on a bench together, silently waiting.

Chan finally stepped out, also in training uniform. He walked to the center of the mat, turning towards the others. "Okay." He said, sighing. His arms were behind his back.

"Welcome, Team 19. Or, what will be solidified as Team 19 after this week of mostly orientation and seeing where you're all at. As well as...deciding if you're a good fit for the team or not." Chan said, rolling his eyes slightly. "However, with that last one, it's just a requirement set in place by Park Jinyoung. The- head of the SSDC. Not team 25's Jinyoung although-" Chan paused, blinking a few times. "Huh. I just realized something. Hm. Doesn't matter. Anyways, well, I'm fully confident from your reports and from what my already existing team has told me." He glanced to the bench where Changbin, Minho, and Hyunjin were all sitting.

"So not only do I heavily doubt that any of you will be replaced, but I actually think this team will be one that thrives on most of its assignments." Chan said, offering a small smile before clearing his throat. "However, I do need to see where you're at, so this week will be us testing each other's strengths and weaknesses. And also make sure you don't...kill each other. Team morale is important for team work so. There's that. And after this week? A few months of training together if we pass and get accepted. For the week after today, I'll divide you into pairs based on what I see on the mat. This includes a pairing with myself. This is based off of skill and what abilities have the potential to work together well. I'll rearrange these pairs at the end of the week, and the final pair you're in is what you will remain in when training and on the field." Chan finishes. "Do you all understand?" A yes in unison told him he could continue.

"Good. Now, I want everyone to turn their inhibitors off except for Jisung and Felix. You two will turn it down to 25%." Chan instructed. Jeongin slowly listened, changing his inhibitor so that it was completely off. It beeped a warning, and he clicked the button to specify he was in training. "Woah." One of the boys in front of him commented, having turned back. "Nice hair." Jisung said. Jeongin touched his hair, panicked, before looking around for a mirror. He forgot to dye his roots. His hair was now the same color as his eyes when he used his ability, but fading into black. "Fuck." He muttered, sighing. He forgot about his physical attributes to his power. He didn't really like them...no one in his family seemed to.

He noticed that almost everyone's appearance had changed except for Minho and Hyunjin's- or at least what he could see from their backs.

Also, he couldn't really see anything of Seungmin, so...that was its own thing. Chan didn't change at all in appearance, he just seemed mildly uncomfortable with the transition.

Jisung's eyes were orbs that were lighting up, and Felix's eyes were the opposite, pure black, little whisps coming off of both of them. Jeongin scooted away a little.

Chan looked around, raising his eyebrows. "Alright. Let's see...let's start off with… you-" Chan pointed to Seungmin, nudging him forward. "And you." He pointed to Changbin.

Changbin glanced to the sunglasses-clad man, hesitantly stepping onto the mat. The other followed suit. Chan stepped back, sitting on a bench.

"This is either going to go very well or it's gonna be over in an instant." Jeongin could hear Felix whisper to Jisung.

"Start." Chan instructed. They walked slowly, circling each other. Jeongin took time to take in Changbin's appearance. He still had on his jacket over his training uniform- leather jacket on with metal studding. Jeongin could also see the bracelets under his sleeves. As well as metal plating on his boots. So he's Korean Polaris then- good to know.

Seungmin kept his sunglasses on but adjusted his uniform slightly, sighing.

Changbin silently advanced, going just for a simple attack. It was almost like a...wave was sent out from Seungmin?

Jeongin didn't even register what was happening until he felt tears roll down his face. He was hit with such a feeling- he felt so  _ sad _ , like nothing was ever going to feel right again, and he was a  _ distance _ away from the two on the mat. Changbin didn't even get a hit on Seungmin, but was on the ground within seconds, sobbing. He was on all fours, hunched over- Seungmin hadn't even moved an inch.

"I-" Changbin choked out. "I'm just….so…" he started to cry, sobbing into his shirt. Even Minho seemed to be affected, from where he was on the bench, choking up and on the verge of crying.

"I…" Chan sniffed, gasping. "Oh god. I think that's enough." He said, trying to ignore the way his voice wavered. Seungmin seemed to hear him, stopping whatever he was doing to make the entire room feel so sad.

It was like a weight had been lifted from Jeongin as he gasped, hunching over. 

After at least a minute of everyone trying to get over the intense feeling of… _ that _ , Changbin slowly picked himself up from the mat, sniffing. "Never...god...never fuckin do that again kid." He said, giving Seungmin a pat on the back.

Seungmin gave a small grin, before slowly turning his inhibitor back up.

"I was not aware you were...that powerful with emotions." Chan said, inhaling sharply. "Well, we all learn something new. Uhm...Changbin, Seungmin...sit back down." He glanced around, still a little shocked the fight ended that easily. "Jeongin. Hyunjin. On the mat." He said. Jeongin looked up in surprise.

"H- okay." Jeongin slowly got up, following Hyunjin, who was a few steps in front of him. They backed up a few feet, so that Jeongin was a distance away from Hyunjin.

"Start." He heard Chan call out.

"I hope you'll trust me after this.” Hyunjin said simply. His accent was thick. "People tend to not after their… everything deceives them." He joked.

“Oh…” Jeongin tilts his head, smirking. He laughs. “You finally speak. Your accent is different. Like mine. Where are you from?” He asked, watching the tall man also smile grinning widely. Jeongin frowned. Then his expression hardened.

“What are you-?” The tall boy disappeared- and Jeongin froze in place, not out of fear, but out of alertness. 

The room was silent. Was he a teleporter, maybe?

The tall mutant reappeared behind Jeongin and he turned around, meeting the other at eye-level.

“Do you teleport?” Jeongin asked directly. This felt off. If Jeongin tried to hone in on where Hyunjin was in the room, he was still traced back to moments before- where the guy had been standing behind Jeongin. But that wasn’t possible, that was-

The boy circled around him and Jeongin tilted his head, confusion evident on his face.

Then he looked at the blank space where Hyunjin had been moments before, and Jeongin blinked a couple of times, his eyes turning a reddish-orange color.

He ran straight for the space, not giving anyone time to react.

“What the hell-” 

Jeongin’s assumption had been right. Phasing into a new body was never different- mildly shocking, no matter what he was doing, but it always felt the same. His vision changed first, overwhelming him. He realized he was seeing himself- or, the boy, walking around the room.

Illusions.

“Oh wow. Wow, that is interesting...” He said, looking around the room widely. He could see the vision of himself- no, Hyunjin, circling around a now blank space. He looked up, then dissipated.

“How’d you do that?” He asked himself- no, Hyunjin, out loud. “You made it look like you were over there-”

His breathing picked up and he was having a hard time being able to keep balance.

Was he panicking?

Hyunjin should be asleep while he's in his body, why is he still awake?

“What are you even-” Jeongin started to get angry but memories flashed up- memories of the boy in front of him- no-  _ Changbin _ .

_ “You’re fine. Listen, no one here is gonna hurt you. Okay? And if they do…” Changbin was looking at Hyunjin softly, letting the green energy crackle to life and his bracelets spin. It offered a little bit of reassurance. “...I’ll hurt them back. Pack of strays. Promise.”  _

_ There was a lot of shouting- Jeongin couldn’t place any of it. The memory was starting to fade to black. Hyunjin was definitely having a panic attack but why was- Why was Jeongin seeing it? _

_ Usually, the conscious was asleep when Jeongin took over. How was Hyunjin still piloting? _

_ Well, panicking- but- _

_ “No! Please! No! Stop!” He’s struggling and thrashing now- kicking out where he can- He’s being held back at all sides and someone in a lab coat is looking down at him softly. “You might want something to bite down on, dear.” She says, holding up what looks like a strap of leather. He’s being strapped down to a table. A- He’s- _

_ GET OUT OF MY HEAD. _

“Wh-”

_ GET OUT! _

Jeongin prides himself on many things.

One of those things is that he knows exactly how his powers work.

Hyunjin should’ve been sleeping when Jeongin entered his body. That’s how it works. Right when Jeongin enters someone’s body they’re asleep. That’s how it’s always been. He can access memories but they’re never forced on him. 

Not only did Hyunjin stay  _ awake _ during Jeongin’s ability, he just tried to bombard him with memories to try and get him  _ out.  _

That has never happened before.

Jeongin hit the floor harshly as his body separated from Hyunjin’s, crying out.

“What the fuck was that?” He asked, slowly picking himself up as he crawled away from Hyunjin, not meeting anyone’s eyes.

“Don’t  _ ever _ go in my head again!” Hyunjin yelled.

“I don’t! I never had! You pushed that all on me! That was you! You forced me out!” Jeongin shouted back, furrowing his eyebrows.

"Woah- woah." Minho was the one to break the two up, standing up and forcing them to create some distance. "What happened!?" He asked, shocked that the two had started to argued like that.

"I- I don't know- he was supposed to be asleep immediately- but he wasn't and, and then I saw-" Jeongin's panicked babbling was cut off by Hyunjin. 

"Shut up! Don't- you didn't see anything, do you hear me!?" Hyunjin yelled back, a sort of...green mist appearing around Jeongin's head.

"Hyunjin, stop!" Minho yelled, pulling Jeongin back. Jeongin's eyes flashed green as the mist seemed to settle over him, head falling back. Hyunjin's eyes were the same green.

Hyunjin gasped, stopping suddenly, before crumpling to the floor.

"Oh my god- Chan!  _ Chan! _ "

  
  
  


When Jeongin opens his eyes, he's in his new room, comfortably under the covers.

"What-" he tries to get up, but his head hurts so badly. "What the hell?" He groaned as he sat up, shutting his eyes tightly closed.

"Ah- don't move too much. I know from personal experience that after one of Hyunjin's headaches it's better to try and sleep it off as much as possible." A gentle hand pushed him back down onto the bed.

He cracked an eye open to see Changbin having a chair pulled up. Changbin? This was certainly weird.

"What…?"

"You know, Hyunjin's powers are huge. He can read minds kinda. Well, he can do much more than that. He can see memories. He can take them away, or make it so that they’re all you think about.” Changbin said with a sigh. “He’s one of the mutants like you. Not quite as… physically destructive as Jisung or Felix, so he doesn’t have to keep his inhibitor fully on, but he has to keep it over the usable percentage. It drains him, you know?” He explained, not really explaining anything at all.

“Does yours drain you?” He eventually asks Jeongin. Jeongin looks up. “Yeah. I hate having it at a percentage that high. Everything I do is draining.”

“I wonder what it’s like for Felix and Jisung then.” Changbin said with a sigh.

“I saw you. In his memories.” Jeongin said. “You were… comforting him.”

“We’ve been through a lot.” Changbin said. “You should probably forget it.”

“I don’t know If I can.” Jeongin replied.

“He’s saying you rifled through his memories, you were screaming and shouting that he pushed them on you… pushed you  _ out _ …” Changbin sighed. “We should just, I don’t know, put this whole thing behind us. He’s been through a lot, he doesn’t open up to anyone, especially not someone he just met.” Changbin said, shaking his head. “I’m sure you didn’t mean anything that happened, and I’m sure he didn’t either.” Slowly, the metal manipulator gets up, sighing. “If you need anything, I left my number on your nightstand, okay kid? Chan wants us to have a team dinner together an hour from now, but it’s completely understandable if you don’t want to come.”

With that, Changbin left, closing the door behind him. Jeongin fell back onto his pillow, sighing as he squeezed his eyes closed.

  
  
  


“Ah...you really outdid yourself, buying your new team beef.” Minho said, reaching over and grabbing the meat with his chopsticks, the others at the table serving themselves as well.

“Well…” Chan glanced to the two empty seats. “We almost have all the team here. It’s a shame, but I guess we’ll celebrate with who showed up, right? Finally, off the benches.” He said, raising his beer. Everyone else followed suit, like a small cheer.

“To a new team!” He said, smiling widely.

“To a new team!” The overlapping voices cheered in unison. They spent a minute clinking glasses as the table fell into chatter, the men pilling food onto their plates, like they had done this a thousand times before. They hadn’t. Jisung argued with Changbin over a side dish with a familiarity they hadn’t had  _ time _ to even reach, Felix piling more food onto Seungmin’s sparse plate. Minho and Chan were talking, and Jeongin would be lying if he said he wasn’t jealous.

Jeongin watched them from the doorway, before turning around, passing the level’s dining hall and making the way straight back to his room.

A team.

Hm.

Jeongin seemed to do better when he was alone.

**Author's Note:**

> twt @danbaihe
> 
> NEXT CHAPTER, 'IDEA':
> 
> "It's funny, It's like I remember talking to you in this park almost." Chan said, tilting his head with a small sigh. "I might really be losing it." He said, resting his elbows on his knees, watching the ducks swim in the lake.
> 
> "Yeah." Jeongin laughed, glancing at the lake, then back at Chan, his smile slowly turning into a frown. "It's almost like we're..." He trailed off.
> 
> He's seen this lake before.
> 
> "...meeting again." He murmurs, swallowing a lump down his throat.


End file.
